#lazy vegan week

[medicinemane]

My stomach sounds like some manner of beast right now, just kind of "mhhhrmmhhbbhh"ing, like some sort of creature snuffling and grumbling

#it may in fact shock you that a single potato did not in fact fill me up #but that's what was on offer tonight #and... and between there not being a lot that I'm up to scavenging in the first place and my stomach not making me feel great... #kinda makes it hard to feel like trying to track down something to eat #what I wouldn't give to have like... a dozen big hamburgers and a spinach or romaine type salad #doubt I could eat it; but it's what I'm feeling like might actually get me out of food deficit if I did manage to eat it all #I don't want sweets; I want food; but my mom loves using her money to pick up sweets and it's like... #a couple really nice quality burgers... even... 2... maybe 4 if we're honest; that's what I'd love #maybe a classic style; a bbq one; something with some spicy peppers on it; and then... surprise me with the last one; just no tomatoes #(and only good quality lettuce; you can put it on there but only if it isn't iceburg) #if only if only if only... if only I had a fuck ton of money or if only I had the skills to make that for myself #man I could go for some food right now... just a burger; that's what I'm really craving #like I said; that sausage patty earlier just made me hungrier so I feel like I need meat #and I fucking know all those SEO articles always say there's no way you need more protein in fact you're getting too much #but I just... I want just a massive amount of meat; a mountain of it... or fuck; don't care; you get me whatever it is in it that I'm wanti #and you put it in a vegan form I don't care... I just want whatever it is I'm wanting; and it's taking the form of burgers #Just like... if I had like 50 burgers in the fridge and I could heat one up any time I was hungry #I might actually be full for once after like a week (and maybe out of burgers) #I know I'm better off than most people; I know I'd be fine if I just wasn't so stupid and lazy #but I'm so fucking hungry and have been all my life #a decent meal that comes around more than once a month (that it's rare it comes around that often) #what an amazing idea; you know? #that month where I'd bought that like month of $1 big burger coupons for smashburger... that was maybe the one time I was almost full #only meal of the day most of the days... but fuck... one big burger every day is at least something

[takenbypeter]

Late Anniversary

Steven Grant x reader

Words: 384

Authors note: I was supposed to post this on Moonniversarry but I was lazy 😅

You both agreed not to celebrate your anniversary for another week due to money being tight at the moment. At least that’s what you thought, but when you arrived back home after a long day out you instantly noticed the two beautifully crocheted flowers that were tied together atop your desk. Taking a closer look, you observed that attached to the purple flowers came a little letter and a box of vegan chocolates.

Before you could do anything else you heard motion coming from behind you, “Steven,” you whined. You turned around to view the man who already wore a smile on his lips. “I thought we agreed not till another week.”

“I know, but I still wanted to do something.”

Your eyebrows lifted as you pouted, thankful yet a little depressed. “Now I feel bad, I should’ve gotten you something.”

He immediately waved your concerns off as he went to take the flowers along with the note and held them out for you to take. “Don’t worry about that, for now just open this up.”

With a half pout, half smile beginning to spread across your face you took a look at the note. Inside Steven expressed how he wouldn’t change the past two years for anything in the world. And he goes on to say that he knows how hard it must be for you to put up with his condition, (to which you immediately shook your head at once reading that), continuing on, you read about how he wanted to thank you for taking a chance on him and promises to be better in the future.

Once you’ve reached the end of the letter you immediately set it back down and turned to him. You catch him a little off guard as you waste no time wrapping your arms around his waist before he reciprocates the action. “That’s for the letter,” you say before leaning back slightly to look at him and that’s when you release one arm and ball one hand giving his shoulder a light punch, “and that’s for insulting my boyfriend,” you added before laying your head back on his chest.

“Thank you, you are truly the best I could ever ask for,” you mumbled into his chest while he shifted to plant a kiss along your forehead.

#steven grant fanfic #steven grant fanfiction #steven grant fluff #steven grant imagine #steven grant x reader #moon knight x reader #marvel x reader #marvel imagine #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #mcu x reader #mcu imagine #mcu fanfic #mcu fanfiction

[notbecauseofvictories]

hi! i've been very wistfully admiring of your cooking and baking prowess but i'm about at the level of "pasta, vegetable, protein, jarred sauce" at this point and can't imagine getting to where you are. are there recipes you'd recommend for beginners? who hypothetically maybe have never used their oven?

Personally, right now I'm just about in the same spot---my desire to cook things has dropped precipitously, I've survived the last few weeks on salads and roasted chicken and crackers with cheese. But the good news is that there are plenty of options for the lazy cook! And the even better news is that I have all sorts of recipes for you...

DO NOT MAKE ME USE THE OVEN, SO HELP ME GOD

Quinoa Tabbouleh (lots of chopping, but afterwards you can make a giant vat of it and eat it slowly over the course of a week...)

Greek Tuna Salad (throw a bunch of cans together in a giant bowl, then eat it on lettuce)

White Bean and Broccoli Dip with Pesto (I make this by the bucket in the summer, though typically I use parmesan instead of nutritional yeast---and I eat it off of rice cakes!)

Pesto Gnocchi (green beans, cherry tomatoes, and delicious, delicious gnocchi, all smothered in pesto. Literally, where would you go wrong?)

SANDWICHES ARE GROWN-UP FOOD!!

Spicy Vegan Wraps (I am not personally vegan, but I make this all the fucking time)

Lemon Radish Tartine

Roasted Tomato Tartine (....listen you call it a "tartine" and I immediately get really interested)

Chicken Avocado Wraps (not something I make too often, but incredibly easy and mostly about shredding your chicken properly)

I HAVE EXACTLY ONE (1) POT

Quinoa-Kale Bowl (unbelievably easy, and the result is delicious)

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Casserole (this in particular makes for really great leftovers---especially if work has a microwave)

Dump & Bake Chicken and Rice (sometimes you just want a bunch of stuff covered in sauce and it's warm and delicious.)

Smothered Mushrooms and Kale (it's got nutrients and also tastes pretty good)

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES (I.E., WHAT TO COOK WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING COMPANY)

Beet Bruschetta with Goat Cheese and Basil (I have made this for multiple different groups, as well as for myself, and every time---EVERY TIME---it's amazing.)

One-Pot Pasta with Sausage and Squash (slightly more sophisticated than the one-pot recipes above---but so fancy! and delicious.)

Puff Pastry Fruit Braid (did you think I'd get through this entire list without a single dessert? this is probably the most adaptable, consistently delightful recipe I have---and incredibly, incredibly easy to use, manipulate, or do whatever you want with. Features helpful pictures, and I think I've used every fruit combination you can imagine.)

#no love sincerer than the love of food #tw food

[maidragoste]

Things I think Jacaerys Velaryon would do if he were your boyfriend

This whole week I was thinking about Jacaerys so I ended up writing this

Reblogs, likes and comments are always appreciated. I hope you like it 🥰🥰💕💕

Disclaimer: English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes.

•Let me tell you that if English is not your first language then Jacaerys LOVES it when you speak in your native language. He is always very curious about the difference between their languages, he asks you if some words have a different meaning in your country. I see him going to the supermarket with you and at some point he starts asking you what they call a certain product in your country.

•Jace would work hard to learn your native language. Most of the time his pronunciation is clumsy but every time you hear him speaking in your native language you feel like you fall in love with him ten thousand times more.

The word he knows how to say best is "I love you" because he never stops saying it to you.

•If you are vegetarian or vegan I can see Jace searching the internet for good places to go eat together. He loves trying new food with you.

Plus his house is always stocked with a couple of vegan products. One time he got mad at Luke because when you came to see him there were no more of your vegan cookies left because his brother ate them and didn't tell him.

•Sometimes when you feel like painting your nails but you're in lazy mode Jace ends up being the one to do it for you. The two of you talk nonsense while he carefully runs the polish over your nails.

•Every time he sees a tik tok from a series or a book that he knows you like, he sends it to you.

•Whenever you're too caught up in studying, Jace reminds you to hydrate and eat something. Most of the time he orders something from your favorite fast food place to give you a pamper after so many hours of studying.

•I see Jacaerys as someone very touchy. Every time you go out together he can't be without holding your hand or his hand around your waist or at least hugging you by the shoulders. He needs to have you close.

•After seeing your reaction to letting her hair long. Jacaerys stopped wearing it short. He loves seeing how nervous you get every time he catches you staring at him. He always teases you by making you pout and he loves kissing you.I only know that Jacaerys pretends to forget his clothes at your house but in reality he does it on purpose because he loves to see you later wearing his clothes.

•My man has two playlists about you. One with all your favorite songs and another with the songs that make him think of you. In the latter there are these songs:

"You can hear it in the silence, silence, you

You can feel it on the way home, way home, you

You can see it with the lights out, lights out

You are in love, true love" — You Are in Love, Taylor Swift.

"Cause all of the small things that you do

Are what remind me why I fell for you

And when we're apart, and I'm missing you

I close my eyes and all I see is you

And the small things you do" — Those Eyes, New West.

"I wanna be your vacuum cleaner

Breathing in your dust

I wanna be your Ford Cortina

I will never rust

If you like your coffee hot

Let me be your coffee pot

You call the shots, babe

I just wanna be yours" — I Wanna Be Yours, Arctic Monkeys.

I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you

(I can never look away)

I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you— Daylight, Taylor Swift.

Taglist for all my House of the Dragon works:

@chaotic-fangirl-blog @venus-flytrap3 @ajordan2020 @iloveallmyboys @sweethoneyblossom1 @fudge13 @crystal-faith @cicaspair418 @tita004 @ichanelvxgue @snowprincesa1 @joyouart @rosey1981 @alastorhazbin @papichulo120627 @apollonshootafar @jasminecosmic99 @diorchaiamet @partypoison00 @camy85 @fluffly @rebelliuna @bxdbxtxh15 @impartinghades @targaryenmoony @thegirlnextdoorssister @angeliod @snh96 @aleemendoza2425-blog @lizlovecraft @natashaobo @nyenye @savagemickey03

Tumblr won't let me tag them: @arabis-world @nzygftoji @lauufeysonnn @Snileykiddie08 @pictureofcaroline @sydneyyyya

@minaxcarter @marytargaryen @bugheadkids @missusnora @sabi127 @buckysmainhxe

If you want to be part of my taglist

hotd masterlist

#jacaerys x reader #jacaerys velaryon x reader #jacaerys velaryon #jacaerys velaryon x you #jacaerys x you #jacaerys x y/n #jacaerys targaryen #jacaerys velaryon imagine #jacaerys headcanon #hotd x you #hotd x reader #jace velaryon x you #jace velaryon x reader #modern jacaerys #jace x reader #house of the dragon x reader #modern hotd #house of the dragon x you #hotd modern au #hotd headcanon #hotd jacaerys #prince jacaerys #house of the dragon

[textpostsfromthevoid]

can I just throw out a plug for vegan chili?

even if you're not vegan its just yummy as hell, cheap as hell, so easy my disabled ass can throw it together on a good day, can be made either with a basic ass pot on a stove or in a croc pot if you don't have access to a stove. I just made like a week's worth of dinner for 2 people for like $11

the spices are easy to buy in bulk at a hispanic market or you can get them for cheap at a dollar store and you really only need chili powder, cumin, and paprika but you can spice it up with garlic powder and smoked paprika and whatever else you like

you can make it entirely out of shelf-stable shit and stock up a can at a time over a few weeks or you can keep it all in your pantry for when you feel like chili no meal prep needed

its totally gluten free and can be corn free too and it's great on its own or with corn bread or tortilla chips so you can have a full meal without having to substitute shit

i just love vegan chili so much it's healthy as shit all kinds of veggies and good protien

Anyway my recipe today was 1 onion 1 pepper (sometimes I skip the pepper or use frozen bagged peppers & onions it doesn't matter) 2 cans black beans 2 cans red beans 1 can rotel 1 can diced tomatoes but like any canned tomato product works 1 can tomato paste 1 carton veggie broth 1 can corn 1 c dry lentils spices toss it all in the croc pot (you can sautee the onions first if you want but I was lazy) and just give it a little stir every few hours and top it off with more stock or water until the lentils are totally cooked and then eat it! I splurged on corn bread for tonight but later I'll probably eat it with tortilla chips instead of a spoon

if you wanna put cheese or meat on it that's fine too!

if you can't eat beans I'm sorry you can't have chili that sucks for you

if you make some vegan chili please share it I'd love to see!

#food #recipes #vegan chili #im seriously considering boosting this post #i just love chili #wholesome #swearing

[inquisitive-june]

Separatist Swaps: Home Cook Youtubers

This week’s theme from @radblrthemeweeks is  Separatist Swaps (suggesting equivalent female artists/musicians/creators/etc to support as well as or instead of men)

I’ll admit I don’t read or watch TV much, but I do watch a lot of YouTube.  I added some of my favorite channels to this post in the past (X).  This will be an expanded list in no particular order.

Initially, I wanted to compare each channel to a similar male-led one, but I opted to just summarize what I think is unique about each one.

Food and Cooking

Note: I prefer vegan/plant based cooking, so I’ll specify which of these channels are exclusively vegan.

Cheap Lazy Vegan (V) Rose makes a lot of Korean food, but the ingredients are pretty easy to find at a regular grocery store.  Many of her videos feature high protein, nutritious meals that can be ready in 20 minutes or less.  I’ve also found her recipes to be shockingly simple without getting boring.

Rainbow Plant Life (V) Nisha is one of my favorite youtubers.  Her recipes are a bit more involved that Rose’s, but I’ve made several of them myself so they’re still approachable for a home cook.  Her recipes are primarily American or Indian inspired with advice for meal prep and saving time.

Pick Up Limes (V)  Sadia is a nutritionist, so her recipes tend to be wholesome and nutritious.  However, she still has a lot of recipes for comfort food and desserts.  I don’t make her recipes as often, but her videos are enjoyable.

Sierra Ann  I like her easy “recipes” (more like meal ideas), but she sometimes posts about fashion as well.  Her content is more akin to a vlog than concrete recipes or cooking tips, so I find myself watching her YT shorts more than her longform content.

Lisa Nguyen  I’ve only ever seen her YT shorts so idk if she makes longer videos or not.  She does instant ramen challenges where she tries different brands or ramen hacks.

Morgan Drinks Coffee  Morgan releases a mix of recipes and other content like appliance and coffee reviews.  She has a lot of advice for people just getting into coffee or those who want some fresh ideas.

Inga Lam  When I made the other post she was still working for Buzzfeed, but she recently decided to focus on her own channel.  I’m not sure what she has planned but she’s very creative and ambitious.

How to Cook That  Ann Reardon mostly makes baking videos, but I prefer her debunking videos.  She seems to have shifted more toward debunking dangerous videos in general, not just food related videos.

June Xie from Delish  June makes long videos creating a week’s worth of meals, often on a budget.  My main complaint about her content is that some of the food she makes is either not for everybody or uses ingredients that aren’t readily accessible, like produce from specialty shops.  However, that also means her recipes tend to be unique and interesting.  Her boyfriend also comes off as kinda rude, but he’s only there when they’re tasting the food.

Beryl Shereshewsky  People from around the world submit ways they eat a particular food, like instant ramen or onions, and Beryl makes and reviews them.  These videos are helpful when I feel stuck in a routine and want to see ingredients from a different perspective.

Alix Traeger  Alix used to work for Tasty, but now she makes content on her own channel with her girlfriend Zoya.  Zoya is Persian, so it’s been fun watching Alix try to master Persian dishes.

Here are some others I saw in my Watch Later list that I don’t watch often or haven’t seen yet.

Mina Rome (Cooking)

Doobydobap (Cooking)

Flo Lum (Cooking)

Sarah’s Vegan Kitchen (Cooking)

Sweet Simple Vegan (Cooking)

Julia Pacheco (Cooking)

Feelgoodfoodie (Cooking)

Anne of all trades (DIY)

The busy brown angel (Gardening)

Gardening and Homesteading

Girl in the Woods  I just found her channel last week, but it was too interesting to leave out.  Usually I don’t like homesteading YouTubers because they focus on the aesthetics, but I’ve actually learned a lot about off-grid living just from watching a few of her videos.

HannahLeeDuggan  She bought a property with a run-down cabin a few years back.  Before that, she was living in a van and selling handmade clothes online.  I can’t say I’ve learned much about van life or homesteading from her videos, but I haven’t given her a fair chance yet.  Last I checked, she was planning on documenting the process of fixing up and weather-proofing her cabin.

Learn Something

Answers in Progress  This channel is run by three people, two of which are women.  They answer random questions with a surprising amount of research and interviews with professionals.

The Take The Take claims to be “ the leading female-led entertainment analysis channel on TV, Movies & Pop-Culture”

Cheyenne Lin  Cheyenne focuses on feminist analysis and film analysis through a feminist lens.

Jessica Chou  She isn’t active anymore but she has some basic videos on car maintenance.

Micarah Tewers Micarah sews a combination of beautiful and insane clothes.  I’ve never tried to recreate any of her patterns but she’s so entertaining to watch.  She made fake eyelashes out of her dog’s hair and that’s not even the craziest thing she’s done on her channel.

Since this is intended to be a discussion, I’m also including a list of channels I’d like to find that are usually male dominated.

Game News and Lore I like watching lore videos for games like the Fallout series, RDR2, and TES.  So far, the only female gamers I’ve seen on YT are overly sexualized and don’t make the content I’m looking for.

Food Science There are a few channels that break down food science like Adam Ragusea and Kenji Lopez-Alt.  The closest female equivalent is How to Cook That, but it’s not quite what I’m looking for and she primarily posts baking videos.

I’ve been watching a lot of Ethan Chlebowski’s videos lately because he makes meal formulas and focuses on high protein meals.  If anyone knows who I’m talking about, I’d love to see female-run channels that make similar content.

Gardening and Homesteading  I want channels that actually teach me something new and don’t focus on pseudoscience or religion.

#radblrthemeweek #radblrthemeweek6 #youtube #cooking

[penny-anna]

as mentioned previously, i've been trying to get new towels to replace my old worn out ones

bought new ones the other week in john lewis. optimistically bought 2 sets. they did not work for me (too thick n soft) so i had to return them

today is the first day all week when i've not been viewing any flats so off i go!!

get down to the street and realise that it's spitting a little. this is worrying as i'm concerned that if i show up w the towels all damp they might not accept the return

for those not familiar: john lewis isn't like POSH posh but it is a nice department store and their stuff runs pricy. this is like £50 worth of towels i'm carrying in a reusable shopping bag.

realise i should go upstairs and get a plastic bag to put over them in the shopping bag so they won't get wet but i'm feeling very lazy. have another reusable (cloth) shopping bag. arrange that over them. it's barely raining anyway.

get some distance from my flat when it starts raining for real. uh oh!!

options at this point are: 1) attempt to keep the bag fully under my umbrella the whole way (tried this briefly, not tenable) 2) double back to the little supermarket and acquire a bag 3) do what i should have done in the first place and just go home and get a plastic bag

don't want to do any of those things due to aforementioned laziness. scan the street ahead to see if there's any businesses where i might procure a plastic bag that won't require doubling back. street is largely bakeries + (i shit u not) an eco friendly vegan grocery shop.

BUT WAIT!! there is also! Iceland!

for non-brits: Iceland is a supermarket chain that specialises in frozen food. they sell like ice cream n freezer dinners. they will for sure have bags.

go into Iceland and proceed directly to the self check outs. there are only paper bags :(

confused?? Iceland seems like an unlikely place to have pivoted exclusively to paper bags. flag down the guy at the self checks and ask if there are any plastic bags.

at the same moment that he answers, notice that there are plastic bags right next to the paper bags.

they are good big bags also!!

for anyone not in the know: as of a few years ago businesses in Scotland are required to charge you for single use plastic bags. this honestly makes me feel a lot better about the situation bcos like i'm a paying customer i'm buying. 1 single plastic bag. for 30p.

ask if it's ok for me to just buy a bag, guy says ofc it is. explain that i need to waterproof something. It Is Raining (he can see that it's raining)

unfortunately self check out machine scale doesn't like that i'm just buying 1 bag. guy has to come over and override the scale for me. this is a lot of hassle for a 30p purchase.

buy the bag. there's now someone waiting for the self check out. retreat further into Iceland and use a freezer as a work surface to rainproof my towels with the bag.

go outside. it is now raining even harder. loiter in the porch of Iceland for a while improving my rainproofing job.

walk securely to John Lewis. it has mostly stopped raining before i'm even halfway there. oh well.

get to John Lewis. fortunately there's a queue so i have time to un-rainproof the towels

goodbye towels :)

[moopsy-daisy]

Make Your Own Cosmetics, Get What You Actually Want

Once you've been in zero waste, eco friendly, solarpunk/lunarpunk circles for a while, it's easy to forget the steps you took when you started. There are lots of DIY projects I've been doing for 10+ years now, and I keep doing them because they work (for me). Yet, when I sit back and think "am I doing enough?" I always gloss over the myriad things that have become part of my everyday life.

Making these things won't save the environment, but you'll get products that meet your needs on your terms, will save you money, and you won't have to worry about a company discontinuing your favorites. Plus, it seems like a lot less packaging to just buy a brick of beeswax and toss in some kitchen stuff you already had to make makeup.

Henna

I got really lucky, I always wanted red hair and henna is a natural dye that only comes in red. Well, more of a coppery tone. But, here's the other cool thing: the henna process is anti-fungal and controls dandruff. Half the time, I remember to color my hair because my scalp starts getting itchy 6+ weeks later and I start to get flakes. Coloring my hair takes care of my scalp and I don't need dandruff shampoo to keep it healthy. It's cost-effective, buying high quality henna for a year's worth of color (for my length and thicc hair) is about $60 for 18-months' of materials. I mix it when I need it, and keep the powder in the freezer. Pro-tip, if you or your partner don't like the grassy, hay-like smell of henna, add cardamom or ginger powder to the mix. It doesn't change the color but it'll knock down the scent.

I learned everything I needed to know about Henna for Hair here: http://hennaforhair.com and buy through Catherine's store because I know I'm getting real, quality henna powder.

Oh and a cloth wrap for your hair will let you keep the henna covered without wasting plastic wrap every time you redo your roots. I've been using the same 'turbie twist' wraps for years now. I made them from old t-shirts and they're stained as fuck. Who cares? This is basically their only job.

Carmine Lip Color

No, it isn't vegan. Yes, it's made of bugs. It's also a spectacular color, the insects aren't abused in the process of gathering or raising. They're actually parasites on nopal cactus, they have a simple niche and serve it well. I learned this lip stain recipe from Humblee & Me, and have found that the anti-bacterial doesn't seem to be necessary, ymmv. A 2.5 gram sample pack of carmine from TKB has lasted me almost a year and I wear this almost daily. I find that the glycerin really helps keep my lips from drying out too badly, so I wear my lip stain even when I'm not planning on being seen by other people. I spend about $20 on lip color for a year and that's including the bottles I use to store it (tiny eyedroppers work best imo) and the glycerin. Not quite zero waste but darn close.

Note: I'm still trying to find a simple recipe for black goth lipstick that I like. So far, my attempts have had a nasty texture and aren't worth the trouble.

Eyebrow Fill

My favorite brand of eyebrow liner discontinued the best color I ever found, so I decided to make my own. Beeswax, cocoa powder, activated charcoal, and almond oil made a little pot of eyebrow fill that suits my needs beautifully. Go super light on the charcoal until you know you've got the color you want. My brows are pretty dark but not fully black, so I do a dark chocolate sort of shade. I think I made my last batch about 11 months ago and it's still half full. I use it daily, apply with an angled brush, and it's never given me breakouts or anything. I don't even wash it off, because I am lazy.

Body Powder/Dry shampoo

Growing up in California, I didn't need this stuff. Living in Oregon? Summer would be awful without body powder. It's also a nice way to have a fragrance on. Pour your favorite perfume (I love Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab oils) onto a cotton ball, put that ball in a jar with a bunch of corn starch. Shake. Leave it for a month. You now have scented body powder. It's a decent dry shampoo, too, I just brush it into my dark hair and it disappears.

Tooth Powder

There is NOTHING wrong with using conventional toothpaste if it meets your needs. I have particular reasons for using tooth powder. These include hating the taste of most toothpaste and needing to avoid fluoride because of my particular thyroid condition. (Fluoride isn't bad for everyone! It isn't ideal for everyone. Figure out what you need!) I make my own tooth powder, it works well enough for me and I don't hate brushing my teeth like I used to. 1 part baking soda, 1 part bentonite clay, some ground cloves. Mix it up, keep in a glass jar (metal will bond with the clay, bad things happen, this is why we use glass or plastic for storage). $20 of materials = LOADS of tooth powder.

Cutting Hair

It's way easier than you think. I cut my own hair and I do a graduated bob which is a little more complex than most at-home cuts. I taught myself. I use decent shears (don't use scissors) and a Wahl hair trimmer set. Learn this skill on yourself, and when people find out you can do hair, they'll come to you for their own needs. Great way to provide mutual aid (one of my parents is trans and getting haircuts in a salon would be extremely stressful for her, so I cut her hair and save her money and suffering). You could also do skill trades! I trade haircuts for massages from a massage therapist friend, for example.

Protip: Dust yourself with body powder before cutting hair, it makes the little shards of cut hair way less prone to sticking to you. You'll still want a shower but it'll just be less icky.

#diy #lunarpunk #solarpunk #carmine #henna #makeup

[whentherewerebicycles]

2023 in review: operation get good at cooking!!!!

wowow i got pretty good at cooking in 2023!!! i did a lot of journaling at the beginning of the year about my cooking goals, which were (in abbreviated form):

get MUCH more comfortable with basic cooking and food prep methods. i did not attempt to master any fancy techniques lol but i wanted to be able to look at your average recipe and feel totally confident in my ability to execute it well. and i did that! i am not a fancy chef but i feel very confident in my basic kitchen skills.

consistently produce good food (and be able to adjust along the way if something wasn't tasting right). before this year i'd often make the same dish multiple times and have it turn out differently each time (often worse the second and third times lol). i learned how to do this and along the way i also ended up getting pretty good at making adjustments to recipes when i think something will make them tastier or when something in the recipe seems a bit off.

have about 20-25 fairly easy (and healthy) weeknight recipes in my repertoire that could be made in 45 min or less and didn't require a ton of prep work or fancy ingredients. i have definitely done this although i do still rely pretty heavily on 5-6 easy fallback recipes if i am feeling lazy or uninspired. i could probably figure out ways to get more varied stuff in the rotation, although i think my strategy of always making at least 1 new recipe per week is a pretty good way to ensure that i try new things.

i also set a mid-year goal to get better at fun little garnishes that made the finished dish pop a little more. i have sort of half-achieved this but i definitely rely heavily on very basic final flourishes (scallions, toasted nuts, citrus zest, etc) and could probably be a bit more creative here if i wanted to.

i also wanted to eat mostly healthy, plant-based vegan meals and to make substitutions where possible to make things healthier. i did ok at this! generally the stuff i cooked was quite healthy but i did add eggs and dairy back in for protein + because i read that full-fat dairy may boost fertility. this year i am going to try cooking more with meat although i still feel iffy about that (i don't like handling meat and i often can't think of how to work it into an existing recipe). but yeah! on the whole i think i did well here.

i met these goals mostly by practicing like crazy!!!! this year i made 104 unique recipes in 2023 (plus lots of duplicates when i liked something well enough to make it multiple times). the places i went to most for recipes were: feasting at home and NYT recipes, although i also very much liked the weekday vegetarians, love and lemons, cookie & kate, nora cooks, and the foodie takes flight.

i will post my top 10 recipes in a separate post :)

#more year in review stuff to come but #i wanted to make a separate post for cooking #2023 #2023 in review #year in review

[osirisiii-bc]

1, 2 and 8 for the bored people ask!

1. describe yourself. 

I'm a south-Italian cis woman, vegan (though I make vegetarian exceptions if necessary), and a social introverted person. 

I usually cut my light brown hair (with ginger reflections) shoulder-length in summer and let it grow long in winter (it grows super quick); sometimes I bleach it. 

I have visible freckles in summer. 

People are usually really surprised when they discover I'm an old-school metalhead because I don't look like one at all by the way I look and dress. 

I wish I were taller. 

I either talk too much or too little, and I can be super active or super lazy in a completely confusing way. 

I love (and studied) arts, literature and movies, solo backpack traveling, and live music. I feel empathically linked to goldfishes and spiritually akin to cats. 

I'm terribly sapiosexual. If you tell me something I don’t know, I may appear a little apathetic, but in truth, I'm imagining all the positions I want you to put me in while you teach me stuff I won't understand anyway.

2. if you could go anywhere for a week all expenses paid where would it be? 

Perhaps somewhere I haven't been yet and might be expensive to reach, like Socotra Island, the Galápagos Islands, or Japan!

8. if you could do magic, what is the first spell you would learn?

I'd learn conjuration spells. Very useful for those moments when I have food cravings but don't have the specific food in the fridge at that moment.

(x)

#🌸 #bored people ask!

[hopefulmilkshakeengineer]

25.08.2023

Tiring, yet enjoyable day

I came to my dad's home for this weekend. We were at the cinema with my stepmother, the title of the movie was "Talk to me". It was one of the scariest horrors I've ever been, also one of the best.

We were just wandering around in mal (we bought to much books like always), for the dinner we ate a vegan spring rolls, which I love ❤️

And that's all I guess. I have a plan to go to the bakery in the morning, but probably I'll sleep to 9 AM and I'll be to lazy to go there...

Take care of yourself guys 🫶 love ❤️‍🩹

#booklover #everyday life #everyday #life blogging #music #spotify #lifestyle #summer #blog #blogging

[samyelbanette]

Today on Moments Of Accidental Veganism: I decided I want to cook Mexican food this week.

The store near me sells plant-based “chicken” that’s already seasoned with Mexican spices, and cut into small pieces, and you just have to microwave it in the bag.

If I make actual chicken tacos, I would have to chop up a chicken breast, and season it myself, and cook it on the stove.

And I am just too goddamn lazy.

#and I’m looking at cans of refried beans #the vegan brand has a pull tab #you need a can opener to open the regular brand #and as said. I’m goddamn lazy. so. vegan beans it is 🤷‍♀️ #I have no strong feelings about animals or the environment. if real meat was easier to cook I would buy that

[skiasurveys]

survey #idk

I have Traveled To:

More than three states in the US

Mexico

Canada (tech i live here)

A place that starts with the letter L

Austria

An island

A big city

Anywhere in Africa

Japan

A place where English is not the main language

Anywhere in the southern hemisphere

India

Netherlands

I Have Read:

Any of the Bible

At least two Harry Potter books

The entire Twilight series

Catch-22

Animal Farm

A Dr. Seuss book

Instructions to a piece of Ikea information

A warning label that made me laugh

A biography/autobiography

Dante’s Inferno

A Chuck Palahniuk book

A newspaper in the last week

Something that made me cry

I Like to Eat:

Spam

Mexican food

Brussell sprouts

Onions

Watermelon

Vegan food

Bacon

Chocolate

New things

Escargot

Hummus

Haggis

Indian food

Home cooking

Fast food

My Favorite Actors Include:

Mark Wahlberg

Morgan Freeman

James Franco

Leonardo DiCaprio

Robert DeNiro

Samuel L. Jackson

Chris Hemsworth

Elijah Wood

Johnny Depp

Steve Buscemi

Robin Williams

Jack Black

Channing Tatum

I Have Listened to These Bands:

Taylor Swift

AC/DC

Jay-Z

Frank Sinatra

Pink Floyd

Fall Out Boy

Incubus

No Doubt

The White Stripes

Skrillex

Tenacious D

Metallica

Britney Spears

Ke$ha

The Beatles

I Have/Had These Pets:

Dog

Cat

Horse

Bird

Hamster

Lizard

Snake

Guinea Pig

Goat

Fish

Mouse

Spider

Pig

Hedgehog

Ferret

I Have Seen These Movies:

Fifth Element

Gone With the Wind

Nightmare Before Christmas

High School Musical

Kickin’ It Old School

Casablanca

Predator

White Men Can’t Jump

AVATAR

12 Years A Slave

Saving Private Ryan

MASH

Mamma Mia!

Dark Shadows

Riding In Cars With Boys

If I Could Have A Super Power, I Would Choose:

Mind control

Mind reading

Teleportation

Flying

Bullet-proof

Speed

Super-strength

Invisibility

All-Knowing

X-Ray vision

Freeze-touch

Time traveling

Invulnerability

Telekenisis

I Am Scared of:

Clowns

Heights

Spiders

Open spaces

Small spaces

Vacuums

Snakes

Needles

Strangers

Michael Myers

Bugs

Tiny holes

Highways

Germs

Police

My Favorite Color Is:

Red

Yellow

Orange

Green

Blue

Purple

Gray

Black

Brown

White

Pink

I Am Currently Wearing:

A t-shirt

A hoodie

Capris

Shoes

A bra

Make-up

Perfume

Deodorant

Hat

Something with a superhero/symbol on it

Nail polish

Scarf

Pajamas

Boxers

Sweatpants

I Would Describe My Best Friend As:

Bossy

Intelligent

Promiscuous

Funny

Whiny

Honest

Reliable

Loyal

Lazy

Adventurous

Unique

Complicated

Open-minded

Well-read

In the Last 24 Hours, I Have:

Read

Drank alcohol

Had sex

Eaten meat 

Danced in public

Went swimming

Changed my clothes more than once

Said something mean

Cleaned

Spent money on something pointless

Sang aloud

Met someone new

Played a game of some sort

Things In the Room With Me Now Are:

A TV

Another person

Something that belongs to a child

A pet

Food

Bed

Art

Clock not connected to a phone/computer

A mirror

Medicine

Books

Drugs or alcohol

The Last Person I Texted Is:

My significant other

Someone who sucks at spelling

A different race than me

A relative

Someone I don’t really like

Someone I went to high school with

My best friend

A person I work with

At home

In the room with me

Knows more than one language 

Is female

Is under the age of 21

Someone I live with

I Am For:

Abortion

Death penalty

Amnesty

Gun control

Gay marriage

Prayer in school

War in the middle east

Marijuana legalization

Banning cigarettes in public places

Higher taxes

Higher minimum wage

Standardized testing

Lowering the legal age for drinking

I Have Committed These Crimes:

Jaywalking

Smoking weed

Shooting heroin

Shoplifting

Breaking & entering

Public intoxication

Hit & Run

Speeding

Opening someone else’s mail without their permission

Burglary

Vehicular manslaughter

Lying under oath

Truancy

I Took These Classes In High School/College:

Home Ec

Physics

Photography

Criminal Justice

Journalism

Debate

Creative Writing

Art

Music Theory

Philosophy

French

Theater

Choir

Psychology

What I Watch On TV:

Reality shows about celebrities

Game shows

News

Reruns of classic shows

Award shows

Modern Family

Doctor Who

Scandal

Infomercials

HSN

MTV

Singing competitions

Cooking shows

Traveling shows

#surveys

[dari-ede]

In the Middle of the Night: Ch. 3

Chapter 3: “Fading in and out of Long Nights”

Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30

MASTERLIST

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Summary: As Bangtan prepares for a new chapter in their lives, they head to their private property in the forest for a songwriting workshop. As a songwriter and producer they have worked with for years, I’m asked to tag along. I was ready for the heavy workload and small amount of sleep during the workshop week. However, I wasn’t ready for the storm that came that changed my friendship with Namjoon forever.

Genre: Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Smut

Pairing: Idol!Namjoon x Female Reader

Rating: M (future sexually explicit scenes)

Status: COMPLETE

Note: There will be a few other celebrities making appearances, but will only be briefly. This is mostly an RMxOC story.

Guest appearance: Jackson Wang (Got7). He'll pop up a couple of times.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been days since the meeting with BH and the guys. I was fully at work on different projects, such as the workshops for the guys and other songs for other HYBE artists. It was around noon while I was finishing a draft when I received a “good morning” message from Namjoon.

Before responding to him, I emailed my draft to PD Bang and CC’d the song’s other producers. I responded to Namjoon and headed to the kitchen. Soon, we were messaging back and forth as I cleaned my dishes.

Me: Try ‘afternoon’, lazy. What time did you go to sleep?  

Moni: 3? 4?

Me: I went to sleep at 2. And still managed to get my ass out of bed by 8.  

Moni: You’re a more self-disciplined person than I am. This is not news

Me: Are you at least out of bed?  

Moni: Yeah just showered

Me: Yuuuum  

Moni: kkkkk. What were you doing? Working?

Even through text Namjoon still got shy and would dodge any flirtatious comments I would make. I could practically see him blushing. As much as I wanted to continue to teasing him, I cut him a break.

Me: A little. I was about to start on workshop ideas  

Moni: I was going to work on them, too. Want to meet up and go over a few things?

Me: Sure. RKive?  

Moni: Yeah I can meet you there in 2 hours.

Me: 2 hours? You live 20 minutes away. It takes you that long to get dolled up?  

Moni: I need coffee and food

Me: I have leftovers from my burrito this morning. Want some?  

Moni: …what kind of burrito?

Me: I can add sausage. It won’t be vegan. I know you like your meat.  

Moni: Thank you!

Me: Meet you there in an hour.  

As soon as he liked my comment, I started on the burrito. I ended up having enough for two. I decided to add more kimchi and rice, knowing Namjoon’s palate preference. After I packaged the burritos, I took a quick shower.

I decided on a casual look so I threw on some jeans shorts with a yellow blouse. Before leaving, I walked to the mirror for a critical look at my outfit.

I used to be a laidback type of girl who didn’t care much for style. My go-to outfit used to be baggy jeans and a simple tee or shorts with an oversized t-shirt. But living in Seoul, made me pay attention to what material and color went best with me. I even accessorized now. However, my makeup continued to be minimal.

I decided on a few accessories and quickly braided my hair. I noticed I was running late, so I hurried out.

The traffic to HYBE was a bit heavy; I arrived later than I would have preferred. I managed to get out of HYBE elevators and to Namjoon's studio with two minutes to spare. Namjoon was usually early, so I was surprised to find his studio locked. It was rare when he ran late. I took off my shoes as I waited for him.

No more than a minute later, I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I glanced up and saw it was Namjoon semi-jogging towards me. He was wearing khaki shorts, a sleeveless white shirt, Nikes, a black bucket hat, his signature silver hoop earrings, a working bag over his shoulder, and an iced coffee at hand. He certainly had come a long way since his chain-wearing, mohawk hair, and heavy eyeliner days. Back when he was lanky and his arms were thin, but now strutted around like some bulky hunk.

“Sorry,” he said, snapping me away from drooling over him. “Were you waiting long?” He took off his shoes and unlocked the door.

I decided to mess with him. “Like ten minutes. Your burritos are cold,” I said as I waved the small bag in my hand that contained his breakfast.

He reached down and gently took them from my hand. He leaned in several inches until I was at eye level with his hooded, brown eyes. A warm quiver made its way down my back. “Liar,” he accused. “I saw you running into the elevator from the front lobby. You beat me by a minute.” He pulled back as he opened the door and held it open for me.

I smiled mischievously and brushed past him. “Why didn’t you call out to me? I would have waited for you.”

“I wanted to see if you would be honest with me. You failed.” He closed the door behind us.

I looked around to see what I could use as a desk. “Can I use that for my laptop?” I asked, pointing to the wooden side table against the wall.

He nodded and moved it for me in front of the couch.

“Thank you.” I took out my things and set shop on the wooden table.

Namjoon went over to his desk and organized himself. Once he was settled, he took out his burritos. He opened his mouth so wide, eyes looking as if they were going to pop out of their sockets, but would only consume a small amount of food. He looked so adorable taking such big, small bites from his food. I smiled privately at his cuteness.

We chatted for a bit before we started on some ideas he had for his workshop.

We worked for six hours straight, and it was I who spoke up about taking a break.

I noticed Namjoon was starting to rub his temple a little too much. It was a habit of his I now recognized to mean he needed food in his system.

He looked hesitant, but when I pulled out the menu options on my phone of where we could order from, he was fully intrigued.

After putting in our order, we continued to work. Once one of the BH staff brought our order up, we set aside our work. Namjoon moved to the floor next to me and we began to eat. Finally, we were able to fully chat about non-work-related topics.

“I finished the book last night,” Namjoon stated as he took a bite from his noodles.

I wasn’t sure which book he was referring to. He was going back and forth between two books I had recommended. “Alire Sáenz or Ngozi Adichie?”

“Alire Sáenz.”

“Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe?” I smiled as I asked the question.

His dimples instantly appeared as he chortled. “You enjoy saying that title.”

“It’s an awesome title. Why do you think I chose the book?”

He nodded, sweetly agreeing with me.

For the next ten minutes, we went over the novel and our thoughts on the characters and their different relationships with their parents. Namjoon related to Dante’s relationship with his parents: they were supportive, openly caring, and had great communication. I, on the other hand, found my relationship with my parents was similar to Ari’s with his own parents: distant and as if there was a heavily guarded secret that kept our relationship distant.

As I spoke, Namjoon placed his right hand on his chin with his fingers lingering across his mouth, as he looked at me intently with his warm, brown eyes. He always made me feel as if I had his undivided attention. Once I finished my explanation of why I familiarized myself with Ari, Namjoon's brows were lightly knitted together. “Have you brought this up to your parents? Feeling that there is something that keeps you from fully bonding?”

I brought up my legs to my chest, feeling a little too exposed and in need to get some physical security around me. “Getting Latinos to speak openly about their feelings is a very hard task. Often when I bring up an issue, they dismiss it. I know a little of my dad’s upbringing: an alcoholic father and a mother who worked much too hard to feed that habit instead of feeding the hunger of her six children. My mother grew up in an abusive household. Growing up, the only emotion they saw displayed by their parents was anger—which then bled into their own relationship. My brothers and I witnessed the toxicity. It’s generations of trauma.”

He was quiet for a moment as if analyzing it all. “You do well in speaking up.” There was a slight look of admiration in his eyes.

“There’s a difference between speaking up and opening up. Latinos have no problem being confrontational. We thrive off a good yelling match,” I said laughing. “But ask us about any childhood trauma? That’s when the beer and shots begin.”

“Why do you think you’re so different? You don’t hide from being open and honest.” A light smile lingered on his face.

“Therapy worked. And then my Tia Jia helped. She would ask me how I was doing—mostly focusing on my emotions. During the countless Korean lessons she gave me, I would also have small therapy sessions with her.” I smiled at the memory. I was grateful to my mother’s best friend—the woman who took on the role that the person who birthed me couldn’t. It upset me that I wasn’t close to my mother but having the relationship I did with my Tia Jia was one I adored and wouldn’t trade for anything. “Plus, I’m not really open to everyone. I might be openly caring and loving but talking about my emotions? I only do that with a few people.”

Namjoon’s dimples appeared. “I’m one of the lucky few?”

The question made me feel a little shy; he knew the answer. “I don’t even think I’ve told Hobi some of the things I’ve told you.” I could feel my cheeks getting warm. While I made friends easily and did well in social settings, I was very reserved. I had always kept my emotions and concerns to myself. But in the last two years, Namjoon had a way of getting me to open up with little to no effort.

There was silence in the room. I could feel brown eyes on me.

His deep voice rang in the small, quiet room. “I’m honored you feel you can open up to me.”

I let out an uncomfortable laugh. “Well, I might open up a little more to Hobi but he spends too much of his free time with his girlfriend. You’re equally as lonely as I am, so it’s easy to use you as my personal therapist.”

This made him break into laughter.

Suddenly the door rattled; the loud noise snapping our attention away from each other.

“Shit!” Namjoon jumped a little. These boys got scared too easily.

We both turned to the door and found a silhouette coming from the other side.

Namjoon let out a sigh that was reserved for his brothers. “He’s so needy.”

We watched as Jimin made movements against the door.

“You need to take a cue from Yoongi and install a keypad.” I began to clean up my stuff.

“I should,” Namjoon muttered.

Jimin continued his movements against the door.

“What do you want?” Namjoon called out to the door but didn’t make a motion to go to it.

Jimin heard this as an invitation and opened the door himself. He looked slightly flushed as if he had been working out for a good while. At seeing me, he gave me one of his flirtatious smiles. “Hi, noona.”

“Hi, cutie.” I grabbed my plate of leftovers. “Hungry?”

His eyes popped at the sight of food and he licked his lips. He let me feed him some noodles.

“How was the shoot?” asked Namjoon. He made his way to his chair.

Jimin nodded as he chewed and gave a thumbs up.

“What were you shooting?” I asked.

Still chewing, he answered, “A dance for the new Butter release.”

“Oh, the one with Megan Thee Stallion’s part?” I asked excitedly.

Jimin eyed me. “Did Namjoonie-hyung tell you or was it Hobi?”

“Hope,” I answered. “He sent me a couple videos of the practices. That footwork is complicated but you guys look tight.”

Jimin nodded. “It was difficult but fun. We shot it like 100 times yesterday.” He gave a small head shake. “What are you two up to?” He took another bite of food.

“Workshops.”

Jimin made a noise indicating he understood, but he didn’t hold too much interest in discussing it. After a moment of silence, I felt Jimin’s eyes were on me. I turned and noticed he was in fact looking at me with a smile on his face.

“What?” I asked. I had a sense his answer was going to annoy me.

He giggled and then turned to Namjoon, who had his back to us and writing something down. Jimin turned back to me, his smile only wider.

“What?” I demanded.

After a giggle, he cleared his throat and composed himself. “You look nice in that blouse.”

I frowned and looked down at my attire. Was I dressed inappropriately? The blouse fit me fine, I thought. It barely showed any cleavage.

Jimin continued to smile at his inside joke.

“Ignore him,” Namjoon advised, his back still to us.

Jimin then started one of his giggle fits.

I turned to Namjoon, completely lost.

Namjoon was dismissive. “He’s dumb. He took something I said out of context.”

“What?”

He let out a sigh. “I mentioned the other day how yellow looks good on you.”

This further confused me. “Ok?”

“He also went on to talk about that purple sweater you wear sometimes,” Jimin said, looking at Namjoon with a secret look.

Namjoon sent him a death stare.

“What sweater?” I asked.

“There’s this purple sweater you wore in the spring,” Namjoon said with reluctance. “I said the color complimented your skin tone. But Jimini likes to make something out of nothing.”

Jimin gave a breathy chortle.

Namjoon looked over at Jimin, looking more than done with him. “Are you in need for attention again? Did Hobi and Jungkook not give you enough of it?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Jimin said innocently.

Namjoon stood up and started to kick his little brother out. Jimin put up a small fight.

Before Jimin left, he turned to me. “Are you still going bowling tonight?”

I nodded. “Yups. I’ll meet you there.”

He said his goodbye and allowed Namjoon to push him out of the room.

“What is going on with him?” I asked, remembered how he had been the other night at dinner. As if he had some sort of secret.

“I’m telling you—he’s dumb,” Namjoon said dismissively. “Who else is going bowling?” he asked, wanting to change the subject.

“A few others. Want to come?” I asked. A mutual friend had invited Jimin, me, and a few others some days ago. I wasn’t sure if it was ok to invite Namjoon but it felt awkward not to at this moment.

“What time?” he asked as he sat back on his chair.

“7, I think. It’s a private party. A small group of us is going. We’ll have a private room.”

“Yeah, sounds fun.”

“Jimin has the address. Catch a ride with him.”

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to stick him in the trunk.”

I smiled and then checked the time. It was getting a little late and there were still a couple of things I wanted to do before bowling.

“I need to get going. I need to run errands.” I began to gather my stuff.

Namjoon nodded. “Ok. I’ll see you later. Want to meet up again to plan?”

“Sure. Text me what times you’re free. I’m meeting Yoongi tomorrow and Tae in a couple of days.” I stuck the last piece of item inside my bag.

Namjoon looked a bit taken aback. “Suga asked for help?”

I scoffed. “No. I’m inviting myself over and helping him plan it out. Otherwise, he’ll just make something up the morning of his workshop.”

He tilted his head. “That tends to work for him.”

“I know. But can you imagine how better his songs could be if he took his time with them, rather than working on them for an hour and just submitting them as is?” I was secretly jealous of how Yoongi was able to create masterpieces in such little time. He never stressed over a song; he just let a song be. I was the opposite. I overanalyzed every lyric and chord and beat.

Namjoon chuckled. “Don’t be too disappointed when all he does is ignore you.”

“Oh, I’m gonna make it happen.” I took my bag.

As I turned to the door, Namjoon was already there and opening it for me. I thanked him as I stepped outside. “See you in a bit.”

He gave a gentle wave. “Bye.”

I noticed he didn’t go back into the studio until I was turning the corner.

~~~~~

After getting groceries, I did a few chores around my apartment and decided to take a small nap. There was no way I was going to make it past midnight without one.

By the time I woke up, I noticed I didn’t have long to get ready. I cursed myself for not setting an alarm, but I had no idea my body had felt so exhausted.

I rushed to my closet and took out one of my favorite jeans along with the first shirt that would go well with it. My braid was a mess, so I decided to pull it apart. It was still damp from my shower in the morning, so I applied some product. It was naturally curly, and the braid had tightened the curls. Thankfully, I was out of my apartment at a decent time.

When I arrived at the location, a couple of friends were already there, including Jungkook.

Namjoon and Jimin arrived a few minutes later. I was sure their tardiness was due to Jimin. They had taken a car together; it was only natural that Namjoon would arrive late as well.

Jimin was sporting a pair of slacks and a cozy sweater while Namjoon wore overalls and a loose white t-shirt underneath. He had ditched his timberlands for combat boots. He pulled the outfit like a model.

Everyone exchanged greetings with the pair of them.

I caught Jimin staring at me and he give a small giggle. I ignored him.

Jungkook frowned at Namjoon. “I thought you were working in the studio tonight.”

Jungkook was standing behind me with his hands on my shoulders, I could feel his nose get close to my hair and take a whiff of it. This was not uncommon for him to do, so it didn’t bother me.

Namjoon shook his head. “I’ll do that after,” he said as he took a seat next to me.

After we settled on the teams, a staff came over to take out drink orders. I asked for a martini.

As the staff walked away, Namjoon turned to me with a serious face.

“Aren’t you driving, Maya?” His face was full of concern.

“It’s one drink. We’re going to be here for at least an hour. And if I don’t feel fine, then I can just walk around the corner to that one dumpling place and sober up before I leave,” I explained. I knew my limitations. I would never drive under the influence, which is why I wanted to have a drink right at the beginning of the game, so I had enough time to get it off my system.

Namjoon gave a nod. We all walked over to the bowling balls to select which we were going to use.

As I was looking for one that was the ideal weight for myself, I noticed Jimin looking at me.

“Nice blouse, noona. It compliments you very well,” he said.

I frowned and looked down. And that’s when I noticed it. I was wearing purple. Dammit. I internally groaned. Jimin was totally going to make this a thing.

Sure enough, Jimin’s laughter boomed.

I wanted to shove him. But I knew it would only draw attention and more people would get involved in the teasing.

Thankfully, only Jungkook was interested in Jimin’s laughter and Jimin didn’t tell him what it was he was laughing about.

I did my best to talk to my team and keep their focus away from Jimin.

As we strategized, the door to our private room opened. We looked up and a good-looking guy wearing all black made his way over to us.

“What’s up everyone?” Jackson greeted the room.

We all shouted out pleasantries.

I was one of the first he got to. “You made it,” I said as I gave him a hug.

He held on for several seconds before letting go. “Hey, chica,” my friend, Jackson Wang, said to me with one of his many smiles. He turned to Namjoon and they dapped up. “Where you been, man? I invited you to boy’s night the other day and you said you were fully booked.”

They had a sweet friendship. It was a strange combination. Jackson was a jokester and Namjoon tended to focus more on work rather than play. They were good for each of them. Jackson quieted down with Namjoon and Namjoon loosened up with Jackson.

Namjoon smiled at the teasing. “I finished a few things early. How you been, man?”

This was another part of Namjoon I enjoyed seeing. His way of speaking and physical stance changed around Jackson. Namjoon already had a cool demeanor but around certain people—like Jackson—that coolness turned to swag. His body was looser, his stance slouchier, his chin higher, his legs further apart. More relaxed and himself. It made him kind of hot if I was being honest.

The pair continued to chat as the game started.

When the waiter came with our drinks, he placed them on a table near us, keeping a social distance.

A couple of us went and retrieved the drinks, me being one of them. Many of the group also wanted water, so I made my way to get some—there was a jug not too far away.

As I made my way back with several cups and a jar of water, I overheard Namjoon and Jackson talking. But it wasn’t the simple fact that they were talking that caught my attention, but that my name was brought up. I stopped in my tracks.

Their backs were to me as they faced the bowling alley, so they weren’t aware I was so close.

“Of course, you came today. Maya's here, so why wouldn't you be,” Jackson said.

Jungkook laughed.

“Huh?” asked Namjoon, sounding lost.

Jackson laughed. “Is he still in denial?”

Jungkook gave a nod. “Yes.”

“Seriously man, you need to make a move,” Jackson said. “Maya is a catch. She’s kind, cool, talented, intelligent—she can keep up with you. Not to forget, she's hot. Guys keep lining up for her. And one of these days, she’s going to find a keeper and you’re going to hate yourself. If you don’t think you have a shot with her, then I’m going to step in—”

Ewww. I knew Jackson was joking. We had been friends long enough for me to know when he was joking. But it still didn’t make me want to gag any less at the thought of him liking me. It was like hearing an annoying little cousin liked me. “Jungkook, can you come help me?” I wanted to stop this conversation, quickly.

Namjoon, Jackson, and Jungkook turned to me and saw me ‘struggling’—I was pretending to lose balance with the cups and jar in my hands.

They got to their feet and hurried over to me. I handed Namjoon and Jungkook the cups and gave Jackson the jar. He even offered his arm to guide me to my seat.

I knew what he was playing and I remembered his gross words from a moment ago. I noticed he sent Namjoon a sly look as he extended his arm to me.

“Fuck off, Jackson,” I said in English as I swatted his arm and made my way to our seats.

He laughed.

“Namjoonah—you’re up,” called out one of our friends.

Namjoon put down the cups and headed to the front.

Jimin, Jungkook, and Jackson began to tease him. Normally, I was quick to quiet them down, but I kept playing Jackson’s words to Namjoon in my head.

You need to make a move.

What move was he talking about? Did he mean romantically?

In the years of me living in Seoul, some of our friends had made remarks about Namjoon and I getting involved, but it normally was in jest—or so it seemed to me. While Jackson had used his joking tone when he said he would ask me out, he certainly sounded serious with everything else.

As I observed Namjoon toss his bowling ball down the lane and miss all ten pins—twice—I replayed Jackson’s words, unsure how I felt about them.

For the next two hours, I did my best to forget the words. We managed to have a good time during the game. We all mostly sucked—except for Jungkook and Jackson—but we enjoyed the company…and drinks. Jackson ordered me another when he saw I had finished the martini. I caught Namjoon eyeing it. I knew it bothered him when I drank before driving. His neck was a little tense and was pretending to be engaged with whoever was up next.

I made sure to not have more than one sip from Jackson’s drink. I didn’t want to be rude to and not at least drink some of it.

The game was over a short while later. Most of us stayed to chat, but eventually, we all dispersed.

Namjoon, Jackson, Jimin, and I were the last ones to leave. Jungkook had left in his own car, hurrying home to his girlfriend and puppy.

The four of us who remained finally headed to the door.

Jackson had his arm around my shoulders. “Why don’t you guys come over? I’m meeting with Jinyoung and Bam. We’re gonna have some more drinks.”

“We have a few meetings tomorrow,” explained Jimin with a slight pout.

“Just one drink,” Jackson insisted.

Jimin turned to Namjoon, “Do you want to?”

Namjoon gave him an encouraging nod. “Go if you want. Enjoy yourself. I really need to get back to the studio. I’ll call another car.”

Jackson let out a grunt. He pulled me a little closer. “You’ll go, right Maya? I know if I can get you to come over, Mr. Workaholic will come also come.”

“He likes to work, leave him be,” I defended Namjoon.

Namjoon sent me a small smile of appreciation.

“And I really need to call it a night. I have a few things to work on as well,” I said before Jackson could try to persuade me.

We were about to exit our private location, so I stepped away from Jackson’s embrace. There would be people who would instantly recognize the guys and I had to make sure I kept my distance. “I’ll let you all leave first.”

I gave Jackson and Jimin a hug as Namjoon said he was going to call a car.

Jimin and Jackson looked at each other and shared a smile and look.

Namjoon shook his head to the side and took out his phone to make a call.

Jackson and Jimin waved to us as they left the room, big grins over their faces.

It would be another ten or fifteen minutes for a car to get to Namjoon. We were alone until then.

“I really don’t want to leave you,” Namjoon said suddenly.

I frowned at him. “That came out of nowhere.”

“Doesn’t seem as if you’ve fully sobered up,” he said as he looked at me intently.

“What makes you say that?” I asked. I didn’t even feel a buzz.

“Girl, your face is flushed,” he explained. “You talk a big talk, but you’re a lightweight.”

I rolled my eyes, knowing he was teasing. We both knew damn well I was good at holding down my liquor. “Get dumplings with me, then.” I reached for his overalls and pulled at them lightly. It was a slightly flirty move, but I did this to him at times.

He smiled back as he let his body be pulled towards mine. He usually shied away from my advances, but this time, he was giving in. “Let’s order delivery and get a cab to the dorms?”

He was so close he was almost hovering. I felt a sudden shiver. “I like driving myself.”

He shook his head, but a smile lingered touched his lips. “What’s up with that? I don’t get why you always have to be the one who drives.”

I looked up into his chocolate-warm eyes. How was it that I felt like telling him everything? “Dr. Rob says that it’s due to childhood trauma. Any time I can have control—I take it. As a kid, I didn’t feel secure with the adults around me—they were way too chaotic. When I’m not in control, my anxiety kicks in.”

Everything always pointed to childhood, didn’t it?

Namjoon didn’t say anything for a moment. He seemed to take in and try to understand what I had just said. With a soft expression, he said, “I’m sorry for not understanding before.”

As always, his apology was sincere.

“The dumpling place is close. Let’s walk there and pick some up?” I asked, looking down and kicking his combat boot lightly.

Namjoon let out a groan, but not because of my kick. “I’d like to, but…”

“People will see.” I finished for him.

He simply sighed.

Most of the time, it was amazing being best friends with Kim Namjoon. Not a moment with him felt dull or wasted. But there were times I was reminded that he was also RM, leader of the biggest K-Pop band in the world. If I were to be openly friends with him in the public eye, our privacy would only get smaller.

I really wanted this whole COVID shit to end. Then we could take a trip together to a place no one knew us and we could enjoy each other’s company. We had already thought of a few places we could travel to once things went back to normal. Now all that was left to do was wait.

“Just bring the dumplings over to the studio. I have makgeolli.” He was trying to bait me with one of my favorite drinks. Damn him.

“Didn’t you say you needed to work on a few things tonight? And you have meetings in the morning,” I reminded him.

“It’ll only be for a few hours. I just need five hours of sleep,” Namjoon explained.

I really didn’t want to be the cause of his little sleep. Plus, I had my own work to think about.

“Come on…” He reached over and poked my side. “Just one drink.”

I looked at him and he suddenly had a puppy look on his face with his pouty lips. He knew I couldn’t say no to him now. I smacked him lightly. “Damn you. Fine. One drink!”

He smiled in victory.

“I’ll go pick up the dumplings. Meet you at the studio in about 30 minutes.” I set off to the dumpling place and ordered for us as he waited for his car.

We met at RKive a little more than half an hour later.

He had changed out of his clothes again. He had on some Gucci sweatpants with a simple white t-shirt. He had taken off his combat boots and put on his comfy slippers.

There were small bowls, ladles, and makgeolli ready by the time I stepped into his studio. As I placed the food on the small table, I had a small doubt looking at the makgeolli.

Namjoon missed nothing. “What?”

“Huh?”

“You have that look on your face,” he said simply as he opened the bag of food and began to take out the dumplings.

“What look?” I didn’t like people analyzing my face.

He chuckled. “You’re not sure of something. You made a face.”

It was irritating sometimes that he knew me so well. Only sometimes. “I don’t think the makgeolli is going to go well with the dumplings.”

“I have sake,” he suggested.

I nodded. That would work. Makgeolli would have to wait for another day.

We drank one ochoko each. Neither of us was a heavy drinker, just did so occasionally. It was another thing we had in common. We liked liquor for the taste of it, not so much for the feeling it gave us. I personally had never been drunk; too afraid of being out of my own control. I had a feeling this was one of the main reasons Namjoon also didn’t get drunk often either. We liked to have a clear mind so we would make logical decisions.

We ate a little but mostly chatted for a good hour before Namjoon forced himself to work. I was feeling light-headed, so I stayed and watched him work. I gave a few suggestions when he asked for opinions, but I mostly lay on the couch as he labored on the computer.

I didn’t get to see this side of him often. When he worked, he was mostly alone in the studio. It was one of my favorite versions of him: the hard worker.

He had put on an oversized hoodie, his hood wrapped around his head. Headphones were covering one ear as he looked intently at his screen. His left fingers stroked the keyboard every once in a while as his right hand skimmed the mousepad. His shoulders were hunched over as he listened to the beat. He muttered to himself every so often. He was so consumed in his craft, that he forgot I was there. And I couldn’t help but like the feeling. I was watching a version of him many didn’t get to see.

He let out a heavy sigh and began to stretch his neck, rotating round and round. He did a turn on his chair and his eyes landed on mine. He looked a little surprised at the sight of me. Then he let out a nervous laugh. “I forgot you were here.”

“Thanks,” I said sarcastically.

He got up from his chair. “Sorry.” He started walking over to me. “You look better, though.”

I gave him a look. “Are you saying I looked like shit?”

“You never look like shit.” He took a seat on the floor and leaned against the couch.

I pulled myself upright and threw my legs on the ground. “You looked cute working,” I admitted to him as I slid down to sit next to him.

He frowned. “How?”

I shrugged. “You were fully engrossed; very focused. It’s nice to see how that genius brain of yours works while you’re creating something.”

He shook his head slightly. “I’m not that smart.”

“Your IQ says differently.”

“That was just a test. A piece of paper that doesn’t apply to real life—real art,” he said with all seriousness. “You and Yoongi create amazing music that I never could. You play multiple musical instruments, you can carry full conversations in three languages, and you have more education than I do—a bachelor’s degree. You’re smarter than I am.”

“There’s a difference between genius and smart. I know I’m smart. But that came with great difficulty. I’m not naturallysmart—I needed a lot of private tutors and lessons to get me there. I had the luxury of growing up with opportunities—my parents were wealthy. I had tutors to assist me. But you have the kind of brain that very few are born with.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but I shut him up it with my hand. “I don’t want to hear it.”

I was so close to him, I could see the black streaks in his deep, warm cocoa irises. He had such deep brown eyes, it was surprising to find they weren’t as dark as I thought they were.

It took a while to notice I had moved closer to him. So much so, that I could feel his breath on my face. I pulled back, feeling embarrassed.

He looked a little off as well as he looked at me. Had I made him feel uncomfortable? Dammit, this crush I had on him was lasting way too long this time around. It was getting a little too out of hand.

He kept staring at me, as if he wanted to say something but was holding back.

“What?” I asked instinctively.

Namjoon was about to say something, but his phone buzzed. He let out a grunt and read the message, making him give out another grunt. “Sorry, I told Rabbit I would send this to him by midnight.”

I remembered where I was and checked the time. It was well past midnight. “It’s ok. I should really get going.” I got up.

He did the same. “Let me at least call you a car. Please.”

His eyes were pleading so much and it was pretty late. Seoul was pretty safe, even this late at night, but I didn’t want to worry Namjoon. “Ok.”

Relief spread across his face. He made a quick phone call. My car would be in the parking lot in a few minutes.

“Are you busy this weekend?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Wanna visit another museum?”

Museums and nature were Namjoon’s church. It kept him sane and stable. He had his trouble with depression. He got lost too much in his thoughts that if not kept in check, those thoughts would turn dark. He had admitted to me if he went without going outside for a long time, those dark thoughts would start consuming him. So, at least once a month, I went with him on either a museum trip or a hiking trail.

“I was thinking more of a hike,” he answered.

“Sure. Will Yongrae and Hakun be there?” I asked, referring to two friends he shared his love for art and tended to go with him almost everywhere.

“I’m sure they will.” He got a message on his phone. “Your car is ready,” he told me.

I gathered my things and began to head to the door.

“Text me once you’re home,” he said as he followed me.

We smiled goodbye and just like earlier today, he watched me leave from his doorway.

As I made my way down to the parking lot floor, my heart sped, and my breathing became heavier. What the hell was happening? I had actually leaned in. Our faces had been just a few inches from each other. God, I needed to get it together.

I vaguely recalled the ride home and even less, how I got to my front door. My mind swam around my feelings for Namjoon.

My body started to feel the weight of the long day by the time I stepped into my room. I felt exhausted from bowling and mentally tired from the worry. I had a feeling that despite the million questions floating in my head, my body was going to pass out soon.

I threw myself on my bed and wrote Namjoon a quick message, keeping my promise.

Me: Made it home.  

Moni: Goodnight. Sweet dreams.

His response was quick but short as if he had been waiting for my message.

I fell asleep, smiling at the thought of him waiting for my answer.

Throughout the night, I held onto my phone like it was a blankey.

Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30

MASTERLIST

#bts #bangtan sonyeondan #rm #rm x reader #friends to lovers #friendship #jackson wang #eventual smut #eventual relationship #InTheMiddleOfTheNight #Spotify #rm x maya

[mrktimes]

YOUR WEEK IN MERROCK JULY 23-29

This week should start out beautiful for anyone looking to head to the beach or the pool, or just to get outside and enjoy the sunshine, with temps in the high 70s and 80s, but the weekend could bring storms, so make sure that you're ready for that! It's a quiet week in town, so get out there and make your own fun, invite some friends along. Enjoy summer!

FORECAST:

Sunday: 79°F / 60°F - mostly sunny

Monday: 80°F / 65°F - partly cloudy

Tuesday: 78°F / 64°F - mostly sunny

Wednesday: 80°F / 65°F - partly cloudy

Thursday: 83°F / 69°F - mostly sunny

Friday: 84°F / 69°F - scattered thunderstorms

Saturday: 83°F / 65°F - scattered thunderstorms

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK:

none!

ON THE BULLETIN BOARD:

July 20-24 -- Enchanted Forest Gala OOC duration.

LOCATION SPOTLIGHT:

FRESH -- located along the coast, Fresh is a newly opened vegan/healthy option restaurant that specializes in meeting your needs, whether you're dealing with allergies, or just a very picky eater. Come check out their fare!

A LITTLE EXTRA:

Town should be a little quiet this week... it's a good time to do things you've been wanting to do while everyone's lazy.

#mrktimes #mrkweekly

[lovemesomesurveys]

[chasingghosts @ bzoink]

What can you smell right now?   I smell my coffee energy drink that I just took a sip of.

What was the last thing you bought online?   It’s been awhile since I’ve done any online shopping since I just haven’t been in a shopping mood. It’s not fun when you spend all day at home in bed to go shopping for new clothes or accessories. I want to be able to wear them out somewhere, ya know?

If you drink coffee, when was the last time you went a day without having one?   I drink coffee daily, which for the past several months I’ve just been having a Starbucks Doubleshot energy drink. While I was in the hospital last year for 3 months I couldn’t eat or drink anything due to a breathing tube, later on trachea tube, so those definitely felt like the longest 3 months of my life.

Do you have any appointments coming up?   Not this month. 

Do you put appointments in your phone's calendar app to remember them?   Sometimes, but for the past several months my mom has just been writing them on the marker board calendar we have hung up in my room. She’s the one who typically keeps track of that stuff for me right now.

Will you be visiting anyone's house in the next week or so?   No. I won’t be going anywhere. 

Have you ever been to a petting zoo? What animals did you pet?   Yeah, as a kid. I remember there always be goats. 

What was the last movie you saw in theatres?   Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness last year. I didn’t know not long after I’d be admitted into the hospital. 

Do you know anyone who has done a PhD?   No. My brother recently decided to go back to school for his master’s and just got accepted into the program, which is amazing.

How many unread emails are in your inbox right now?   Omg, like well over 1,000. I used be on top of my emails and kept my inbox clean, but I got lazy with it for some reason. The notification used to bother me and help me stay on track; I don’t know what happened.

What four apps do you keep on the home bar on your iPhone? (Sorry, I'm not sure if Android has an equivalent!) Contacts, call, messages, emails.  

Have you ever used Tumblr? Do you still use it today?   Nope, what’s that?

Are you tired right now?   Very. One of the things about the edibles I found that seems to be helping my anxiety also makes me extremely tired. So, I’m napping more but whatever. What else am I doing?

What's your favourite day of the week and why?   I don’t have one.

How far away is the nearest major city?   A few hours.

Do you own an electric kettle?   Nope.

Are your eyebrows wispy or bushy?   Bushy.

Have you ever lost your wallet or purse? Did you have to replace a bunch of things?   No, thankfully. 

Where are you right now? Describe the room or place to me.   I’m in bed in my room. It’s a small room with a closet, dresser, tv, window, canvas art and posters hung up, marker boards, bulletin board, a side table, an office chair, and a shit ton of medical supplies. My room is small and cluttered and I hate it. 

Do you prefer big dogs or small dogs?   As someone in a wheelchair, I personally feel most comfortable around medium sized dogs.

Are you good at understanding heavy accents? Which accents would you say you're the best at understanding?   I admittedly have a hard time sometimes, it just really depends.

Have you ever played on a real life pinball machine, or just on the computer?   A real one, yeah. 

Do you have a lot of word documents or notes on your computer?   No.

What's your favourite Ben & Jerry's flavour?   I don’t really have a particular favorite. When I was younger I loved the Phish food one.

Have you ever been to a school reunion? How was it?   No, and I have no interest in going to one.

How many nights a week do you generally cook at home?   I personally don’t cook at all.

What colour are the street signs in your neighbourhood? Are they the same all over town or do they vary?   They’re green.

Do you have good grammar and punctuation skills?   I believe so.

Have you ever tried vegan chicken? Did you like it? No, and I gotta say... it doesn’t sound appealing to me.

#personal #text #survey #surveys